Today I discovered the coolest web cam ever (at least to a CWT) – a live feed of a nesting osprey pair! An osprey is an impressive bird of prey that hunts for fish, thus earning itself the nickname of “fish hawk.” Ospreys can often be seen in Florida (and around the world) soaring through the sky clutching fish in their talons or perching atop manmade structures.

You MUST check out Dunedin, Florida’s awesome Osprey Cam: http://ospreynest.info/ospreycam.php where you can watch live footage of an osprey pair tending to their nest. Right now they are sitting on three eggs, which they will incubate for just over a month. Once the eggs hatch, the chicks will spend nine to ten weeks in the nest before they fledge (aka fly off on their own). This osprey pair laid their first egg in mid February, which means we are just a couple of weeks away from babies! CWT will be keeping an eye out, and will of course let you know when they arrive.

Just a little more about ospreys because untrained eyes often confuse them with bald eagles. The biggest difference between them is size. Ospreys are much smaller, especially their tiny bird heads! Their coloration also differs, but this difference is more subtle since both species are brown and white — ospreys have completely white necks and bellies and sport a distinctive dark eye mask, while bald eagles do not have white necks or bellies and their head is completely white. Bald eagles also have bright yellow bills and feet, while ospreys have a dark beak and white feet.

Have you ever seen an osprey? Or a bald eagle? Or now realize what you thought you saw was something totally different?!